religion and corruption:

September 19, 2017Mysterious exit of Vatican auditor begs question: Is reform even possible?

by John Allen Jr | cruxnow.com​Almost a week later, it remains mysterious why Libero Milone, an Italian businessman and auditing expert hired in 2015 for a five-year term as the Vatican's first-ever Auditor General, abruptly resigned. Whatever the case, the optics don't seem encouraging in terms of the current state of Pope Francis's reform effort.This past Monday, phone lines across Rome began to heat up with rumors that something had happened with Libero Milone, a veteran Italian businessman and expert in auditing and tax services who had been hired in June 2015 as the Vatican’s first-ever Auditor General, billed as the final piece of the puzzle in terms of building a culture of accountability and transparency.On Tuesday, the other shoe dropped: The Vatican released a terse, four-line statement saying that Milone had submitted his resignation, Pope Francis had accepted it, and, by “common agreement,” his relationship with the Vatican was over.The statement wished Milone well, and said that a search will soon be launched to find his successor.What the statement didn’t offer was any explanation of why Milone was walking away, two years into what was supposed to be a five-year term, and well before anything like an actual audit of Vatican finances had been brought to completion.Given that the only force on the planet that abhors a vacuum more than nature is the Italian press, speculation immediately ensued about the backstory.RAI, the Italian state broadcasting service, reported on the basis of “multiple sources” that a raid had been conducted on Milone’s office Monday by the Vatican’s Gendarmes, obviously creating the impression that he was suspected of misconduct and resigned to avoid prosecution. One anonymous Italian cardinal was quoted in Corriere della Sera as saying, “He must have gotten fat,” meaning enriching himself.Others, however, found hard to swallow the idea that a former executive of such corporate giants as Deloitte, Fiat and Wind, with a previous reputation for integrity, would engage in such behavior. According to this view, Milone likely fell victim to internal Vatican power struggles, perhaps for standing too close to Australian Cardinal George Pell - the man brought in by Francis in 2014 to head a powerful new Secretariat for the Economy, but who’s subsequently seen his wings clipped several times.Still others wondered if Milone simply despaired of trying to reform a system that didn’t seem interested in reforming, and decided to walk away. (That seems a bit unlikely, however, given that just a month ago in an interview with Corriere, Milone was asked if he regretted taking the job, and said, “No, on the contrary, I’m in this all the way to the end.”)One final theory is that Pope Francis realized that he’d appointed the wrong man for the job, and decided to pull the trigger on replacing him before further time is lost. Under that theory, the lack of explanation for the move was actually an act of mercy.No matter which scenario proves to be closest to the truth, the optics are not encouraging in terms of the current state of Francis’s reform. Coupled with other apparent gaps, such as the fact that while more than 40 cases of alleged impropriety have been flagged by the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority for investigation, not a single prosecution has been pushed through by the Vatican’s justice system, Milone’s downfall prompted many to begin writing obituaries for the whole idea of reform.We may never get a full explanation, but in the meantime, here are three thoughts about where things stand after Milone’s exit.First, one of the cornerstones of the reform effort launched shortly after Francis was elected to the papacy in March 2013 was supposed to be transparency. It would be clear how much money the Vatican has, where it comes from, how it’s being used, and who has access to it. There would be no more occult maneuvers, no more shady deals, and no hidden powers pulling strings behind the scenes, on the idea that sunlight is the best disinfectant. (full article)

" ​Hypocrisy in full bloom with Pope Frances’ latest Hitler statementby Sam Johnson | WCM (image by A.F. Branco)The popes recent speech on Vatican radio promoting truth and avoiding hypocrisy along with his press release implying Trump is another Hitler smacks as the ultimate self-delusional hypocrisy coming from the latest of multiple Popes who have failed miserably to cleanse the Vatican of decades if not centuries of corruption, moral decay and physical abuse by its priests, bishops and cardinals within the church. Scandals too numerous to count involving gay clergy, paedophile crimes and financial scandals that would command prison sentences in any other country with accountable laws have been swept under the rug at best and actually promoted at worse.During the popes recent message on Vatican radio, he urged Christians ‘to always tell the truth to avoid succumbing to hypocrisy which he described as a kind of spiritual schizophrenia that makes us say many things but without putting them into practice.’ Oh really? Apparently Frances needs a brush off the dust of the Vatican library’s history books and read about the well documented role his beloved church played in the Holocaust. It might make him think twice about sounding alarm bells insinuating Trump is another Hitler or about preaching to his flock about truth and hypocrisy.And just how hypocritical is the Pope being about accusing Trump of being another Hitler? According to holocasitonine.org (and many other credible sources) it’s well documented the Church played a major roll in supporter Hitler’s Nazi Germany during the war and was a number one protector of Nazi war criminals post WWII:“Senior German Nazi criminals escaped prosecution after World War II by the use of different “ratlines “ spread over Europe, which were operated via a network of Vatican contacts. The Catholic Church believed this effort would contribute to the “re-Christianization” of Europe and feared the threat to Europe of paganism and communism. In the pursuit of its political and spiritual interests, it was quick to forgive Nazi war criminals. Welcoming former sinners back to the bosom of the Church seemed a higher calling than turning them over to war crimes investigators. According to many church officials who were questioned about this practice: “You don’t understand us, but we did the right thing,” It’s estimated that 5,000 Nazi leaders managed to escape thanks to this network."Forgiving your enemy is a formidable principal to live by. However, if a person commits a crime, they have to face the legal authorities and receive their just punishment. Otherwise where is justice in the world? Frances’ Church helping criminals escape justice doesn’t all go down well for his holier than thou attitude in preaching truth and avoiding hypocrisy.So why is the pope so concerned about pointing a finger at Trump at this potentially major positive junction in American history? One ploy is if the Pope accuses someone else then by default it means the church has no blame (or shame). Or he might be using an age old diversion tactic to take the heat off further scrutiny over Vatican scandals. Or more likely, the Pope is genuinely concerned the shocking new direction of the American people through Trump and the UK’s vote for Brexit is forever changing the dynamics of the establishment that further threatens to undermine the Churches control and influence over its dwindling congregations.

February 22, 2017In An Impassioned Address , Pope Francis Denied The Existence Of Islamic Terrorism, While Simultaneously Asserting That “The Ecological Crisis Is Real.”byTHOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D | Brietbart.com“Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist,” Francis said in his speech to a world meeting of populist movements.What he apparently meant is that not all Christians are terrorists and not all Muslims are terrorists—a fact evident to all—yet his words also seemed to suggest that no specifically Islamic form of terrorism exists in the world, an assertion that stands in stark contradiction to established fact. (full story)

December 25, 2017How the Vatican built a secret property empire using Mussolini's millionsby David Leigh, Jean François Tanda and Jessica Benhamou | TheGuardian.com

Few passing London tourists would ever guess that the premises of Bulgari, the upmarket jewellers in New Bond Street (London UK), had anything to do with the pope. Nor indeed the nearby headquarters of the wealthy investment bank Altium Capital, on the corner of St James's Square and Pall Mall.But these office blocks in one of London's most expensive districts are part of a surprising secret commercial property empire owned by the Vatican.Behind a disguised offshore company structure, the church's international portfolio has been built up over the years, using cash originally handed over by Mussolini in return for papal recognition of the Italian fascist regime in 1929.Since then the international value of Mussolini's nest-egg has mounted until it now exceeds £500m. In 2006, at the height of the recent property bubble, the Vatican spent £15m of those funds to buy 30 St James's Square. Other UK properties are at 168 New Bond Street and in the city of Coventry. It also owns blocks of flats in Paris and Switzerland.The surprising aspect for some will be the lengths to which the Vatican has gone to preserve secrecy about the Mussolini millions. The St James's Square office block was bought by a company called British Grolux Investments Ltd, which also holds the other UK properties. Published registers at Companies House do not disclose the company's true ownership, nor make any mention of the Vatican.Instead, they list two nominee shareholders, both prominent Catholic bankers: John Varley, recently chief executive of Barclays Bank, and Robin Herbert, formerly of the Leopold Joseph merchant bank. Letters were sent from the Guardian to each of them asking whom they act for. They went unanswered. British company law allows the true beneficial ownership of companies to be concealed behind nominees in this way.The company secretary, John Jenkins, a Reading accountant, was equally uninformative. He told us the firm was owned by a trust but refused to identify it on grounds of confidentiality. He told us after taking instructions: "I confirm that I am not authorised by my client to provide any information."Research in old archives, however, reveals more of the truth. Companies House files disclose that British Grolux Investments inherited its entire property portfolio after a reorganisation in 1999 from two predecessor companies called British Grolux Ltd and Cheylesmore Estates. The shares of those firms were in turn held by a company based at the address of the JP Morgan bank in New York. Ultimate control is recorded as being exercised by a Swiss company, Profima SA.British wartime records from the National Archives in Kew complete the picture. They confirm Profima SA as the Vatican's own holding company, accused at the time of "engaging in activities contrary to Allied interests". Files from officials at Britain's Ministry of Economic Warfare at the end of the war criticised the pope's financier, Bernardino Nogara, who controlled the investment of more than £50m cash from the Mussolini windfall.Nogara's "shady activities" were detailed in intercepted 1945 cable traffic from the Vatican to a contact in Geneva, according to the British, who discussed whether to blacklist Profima as a result. "Nogara, a Roman lawyer, is the Vatican financial agent and Profima SA in Lausanne is the Swiss holding company for certain Vatican interests." They believed Nogara was trying to transfer shares of two Vatican-owned French property firms to the Swiss company, to prevent the French government blacklisting them as enemy assets.Earlier in the war, in 1943, the British accused Nogara of similar "dirty work", by shifting Italian bank shares into Profima's hands in order to "whitewash" them and present the bank as being controlled by Swiss neutrals. This was described as "manipulation" of Vatican finances to serve "extraneous political ends".The Mussolini money was dramatically important to the Vatican's finances. John Pollard, a Cambridge historian, says in Money and the Rise of the Modern Papacy: "The papacy was now financially secure. It would never be poor again."From the outset, Nogara was innovative in investing the cash. In 1931 records show he founded an offshore company in Luxembourg to hold the continental European property assets he was buying. It was called Groupement Financier Luxembourgeois, hence Grolux. Luxembourg was one of the first countries to set up tax-haven company structures in 1929. The UK end, called British Grolux, was incorporated the following year.When war broke out, with the prospect of a German invasion, the Luxembourg operation and ostensible control of the British Grolux operation were moved to the US and to neutral Switzerland.The Mussolini investments in Britain are currently controlled, along with its other European holdings and a currency trading arm, by a papal official in Rome, Paolo Mennini, who is in effect the pope's merchant banker. Mennini heads a special unit inside the Vatican called the extraordinary division of APSA – Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica – which handles the so-called "patrimony of the Holy See".According to a report last year from the Council of Europe, which surveyed the Vatican's financial controls, the assets of Mennini's special unit now exceed €680m (£570m).While secrecy about the Fascist origins of the papacy's wealth might have been understandable in wartime, what is less clear is why the Vatican subsequently continued to maintain secrecy about its holdings in Britain, even after its financial structure was reorganised in 1999.The Guardian asked the Vatican's representative in London, the papal nuncio, archbishop Antonio Mennini, why the papacy continued with such secrecy over the identity of its property investments in London. We also asked what the pope spent the income on. True to its tradition of silence on the subject, the Roman Catholic church's spokesman said that the nuncio had no comment.

24 August 201Pope Francis hosts Paganism at the Vatican​by WCN​The ﻿﻿Advent Messenger﻿﻿ran ﻿an article recently that Pope Francis received representatives from different pagan, indigenous traditions at the Vatican and defended their rights to their identity and connection to the earth. The meetings were coordinated by the international Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) a specialized agency of the United Nations.Instead of teaching these souls about Christian values and the error of their ways the Pope actually eulogized their beliefs in stark contrast to his previous views earlier in his Papacy. on Paganism iBelow is a snapshot of a ‘ Google search ‘ which sheds some light on how the Pope’s views on paganism have changed since 2014 when he warned that ‘Pagan Christians are the enemies of the cross’ and in 2015 when the Pope warned again about the evils of pagan living, whereas earlier this year the Pope actually hosted pagans at the Vatican and promoted the sanctity of their beliefs.

Catholics Ask Trump To Probe Soros-Obama-Clinton Conspiracy At Vaticanby William F. Jasper | thenewAmerican.comDid billionaire speculator George Soros, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, and Obama/Clinton adviser John Podesta conspire to overthrow the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and replace him with a radical, Pope Francis? Did they use America’s intelligence agencies, and our nation’s diplomatic machinery, political muscle, and financial power to coerce and blackmail “regime change” in the Roman Catholic Church?Far from being some wild conspiracy theory, there is sound prima facie evidence to indicate that this is a serious effort to expose a political scandal of the highest order, involving flagrant, criminal abuse of power at the top levels of the U.S. government. A group of respected Catholic lay leaders have sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to launch an official investigation into the activities of the above mentioned individuals (and others) who appear to have been involved in this alleged Vatican coup. They cite eight specific questions they seek to have answered concerning suspect events that led to the resignation of Pope Benedict, the first such papal abdication in 700 years.“Specifically, we have reason to believe that a Vatican ‘regime change’ was engineered by the Obama administration,” say the petitioners, in their January 20 letter to President Trump. The five signatories to the letter, first published in the Catholic newspaper/weblog, The Remnant, are: Lieutenant Colonel David L. Sonnier, US Army (Retired); Michael J. Matt, editor of The Remnant: Christopher A. Ferrara, author, attorney, and president of the American Catholic Lawyers Association, Inc.; Chris Jackson, Catholics4Trump.com; and, Elizabeth Yore, Esq., Founder of YoreChildren.“We were alarmed to discover,” their letter notes, “that, during the third year of the first term of the Obama administration your previous opponent, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and other government officials with whom she associated proposed a Catholic ‘revolution’ in which the final demise of what was left of the Catholic Church in America would be realized.” The letter includes footnote links that take the reader to documents and news stories underscoring their charges and pointed questions. It first directs attention to the Soros-Clinton-Podesta e-mails disclosed last year by WikiLeaks, in which Podesta and other “progressives” discussed ending the “middle ages dictatorship” in the Catholic Church. Regarding the e-mails in question, The New Americanreported last October:Podesta, a longtime Clinton adviser/confidante and hand-picked top activist for left-wing funder George Soros, revealed in a 2011 e-mail that he and other activists were working to effect a “Catholic Spring” revolution within the Catholic Church, an obvious reference to the disastrous “Arab Spring” coups organized that same year by the Obama-Clinton-Soros team that destabilized the Middle East and brought radical Islamist regimes and terrorist groups to power in the region. The Podesta e-mail is a response to another Soros-funded radical — Sandy Newman, founder of the “progressive” Voices for Progress. Newman had written to Podesta seeking advice on the best way to “plant the seeds of the revolution” in the Catholic Church, which he described as a “middle ages [sic] dictatorship.” The issue that appeared to be the cause of Newman’s e-mail was opposition by U.S. Catholic Bishops to the federally mandated contraceptive coverage in ObamaCare.In their letter to President Trump, the concerned Catholics write: “Approximately a year after this e-mail discussion, which was never intended to be made public, we find that Pope Benedict XVI abdicated under highly unusual circumstances and was replaced by a pope whose apparent mission is to provide a spiritual component to the radical ideological agenda of the international left. The Pontificate of Pope Francis has subsequently called into question its own legitimacy on a multitude of occasions.” (full story)

June 29, 2017Pope aide George Pell charged with child sex abuseAustralian police say top Vatican cardinal charged with multiple counts of 'historical sexual offences'.by Aljezeera.comAustralian police have charged a top Vatican cardinal with multiple counts of historical sexual assault offences. Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis' chief financial adviser and Australia's most senior Catholic, is the highest-ranking Vatican official to ever be charged in the church's long-running sexual abuse scandal.Victoria state Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said on Thursday police have summoned Pell to appear in an Australian court to face multiple charges of "historic sexual offences", meaning offences that generally occurred some time ago. Patton said the 76-year-old was charged on summons and was required to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18 for a hearing. Patton would not take any questions, citing the need to preserve the integrity of the judicial process. The Catholic Church in Australia said Pell "strenuously denies" the multiple sexual assault offences."Cardinal Pell will return to Australia, as soon as possible, to clear his name following advice and approval by his doctors who will also advise on his travel arrangements," the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney said in a statement. "He said he is looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously.""It is important to note that none of the allegations that have been made against Cardinal Pell have, obviously, been tested in any court yet," Patton told reporters in Melbourne."Cardinal Pell, like any other defendant, has a right to due process."The charges are a new and serious blow to Pope Francis, who has already suffered several credibility setbacks in his promised "zero tolerance" policy about sex abuse. For years, Pell has faced allegations that he mishandled cases of clergy abuse when he was archbishop of Melbourne and, later, Sydney. His actions as archbishop came under intense scrutiny in recent years by a government-authorised investigation into how the Catholic Church and other institutions have responded to the sexual abuse of children.Last year, Pell acknowledged during his testimony to the commission that the Catholic Church had made "enormous mistakes" in allowing thousands of children to be raped and molested by priests.He conceded that he, too, had erred by often believing the priests over victims who alleged abuse. And he vowed to help end a rash of suicides that has plagued church abuse victims in his Australian hometown of Ballarat.

​In March 2013 over a billion Catholics around the world watched as the Vatican conclave elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio to become the next Pope. But within a week, researchers like Professor Michel Chossudovsky of the Centre for Research on Globalization were pointing out Bergoglio's past associations with the Junta during Argentina's 'Dirty War' likely made him complicit in crimes against humanity. This is the GRTV Feature Interview with host James Corbett and guest Professor Michel Chossudovsky.

Pope Francis Spearheading one world religion by promoting ecumenical agenda by the three religions of the book

Another Vatican Scandal: Fatima Seer Sister Lucia - Imposter as Cover-Up of Third Secret ContinuesJust when you thought the Vatican closet couldn't possibly hold any more skeletons, another one rears its ugly little head. Sister Lucia Santos was one of three peasant children known as 'the little seers' who were blessed with supernatural visions at Fatima Portugal in 1917. As proof of their visions, on October 13th of that year, 70,000 people including reporters, skeptics and atheists alike witnessed an incredible miracle of the sun 'dancing across the sky' as many came to describe the event. The three seers were given three secrets by the Holy Mother which they initially could not reveal. Two of the three children died from influenza within 2 years of the event. However, Lucia Santos who later became a Nun was allowed to reveal the first two secrets later in her life. However, the third secret was the most contentious (from the Vatican's point of view) and was never properly revealed by Sister Lucia. Many believe the Vatican has gone to great lengths to cover up the third secret since it involves a future devastating loss of faith (an apostasy) within the Church due to scandals within the Vatican. Many believe another part of the third secret indicates that 'Satin would enter the highest realms of the hierarchy in Rome'. So how far would the Vatican go to quash the true third secret? Many now believe the real Sister Lucia was replaced by an imposter who then suddenly revealed the third secret according to Vatican dictate. The physical evidence of two Sister Lucias is compelling to say the least. full story)

Hindu Guru gets 14 Years Prison for Sexual Molestation in US (link here)

July 18, 2015Vatican Justice: What a JokeIt seems according to the CNN article below that former Arch Bishop Jozef Wesolowski, the highest ranking Vatican official to be tried for molesting young boys has conveniently taken ill on his big day in Vatican court. What a shame (or should we say sham) the poor ex-Archbishop came down with a mysterious illness and had to be rushed off to the hospital just a few hours before he was due in court to face the music. The old saying, 'I smell a rat' may be appropriate here. Time will tell if Pope Frances' push to finally bring some of the scum in the Vatican to justice will materialize or turn into just another Vatican cover-up.

Vatican delays trial of Pope's ex-diplomat accused of child porn, pedophilia by CNN A former papal ambassador accused of sexually abusing minors has been hospitalized in an intensive care unit -- pushing back his trial once set to start Saturday in Vatican City. Jozef Wesolowski, 66, was under house arrest in Vatican City when he fell ill Friday night and was rushed to a public hospital. A judge held a short hearing and adjourned Wesolowski's trial to a yet undetermined date, the Vatican Press Office said. It did not provide any details on his condition. Wesolowski, 66, is the highest-ranking Catholic official arrested for alleged sexual abuse of minors. In addition to sexual abuse allegations, he is accused of possession of child pornography during his time as papal nuncio -- or ambassador -- to the Dominican Republic. The maximum punishment for these crimes could be 9 years in prison, although sentencing is entirely at the discretion of the judges. The Vatican, which operates as a city-state, has its own judicial system. This is the first trial on charges of sex abuse to be heard by the Vatican tribunal, which is composed of 3 lay Italian judges. Antonello Blasi, lawyer for the ex-archbishop, said he learned of his client's hospitalization upon arriving in court. "I take note of this news with regret," Blasi said in court. "because the defendant was willing to be present."Blasi told reporters that he had seen Wesolowski three days ago and that he seemed in good health, as good as could be expected for a man of his age and considering the upcoming trial. (full story)

[The following article - first published by Global Research.ca in March 2013 - is as valid today as it was then]

‘SMOKING GUN’ MEMO PROVES POPE FRANCIS COLLABORATED WITH MILITARY JUNTAby Brett Wilkins | GlobalResearch.caAllegations that Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis I, collaborated with Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship have been circulating for decades. The Pope, and the Vatican he now heads, have vehemently denied these allegations.The Vatican has dismissed the allegations against the new Pope as a “left-wing anti-clerical attack on the church.” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi insisted there has never been a “concrete or credible accusation” against Bergoglio. On Sunday, an Argentinian newspaper published a government memo that seems to definitively prove that Bergoglio did indeed provide information to the murderous dictatorship, informing authorities about allegations against two Jesuit priests who were kidnapped, tortured and imprisoned for five months for allegedly contacting anti-regime leftist guerrillas.Furthermore, Gregoglio is alleged to have sold the priests out even while he personally promised them his protection. On March 13, Digital Journal published a lengthy article detailing Jorge Bergoglio’s– and the Argentine Catholic church’s– alleged role in collaborating with that country’s brutal, US-backed military dictatorship, a regime characterized by kidnapping, torture, murder and disappearance. As many as 30,000 people, from students, trade unionists, journalists and leftists and their sympathizers to children and even pregnant women (whose babies were stolen), were killed or disappeared during the 1976-1983 ‘Dirty War,’ which was fully supported by the Carter and Reagan administrations. (full story)

January 31, 2016​The Kabbalah Centre - Another example of Spiritual ExploitationThe authentic tradition of Kabbalah involves the teaching of truth that goes well beyond the controlling, manipulating dogma of world religions. However, finding an ‘authentic’ version of Kabbalistic teachings is almost as elusive as are the secrets hidden within the study of the true Kabbalah itself. The unfortunate exploitation of this altruistic philosophy has reared its ugly head in todays world through the likes of the Madonna supported Kabbalah Centre – which any Christian, Jewish or esoteric based Kabbalist will tell you has absolute nothing to do with ‘the real McCoy’ (other than the use of the word ‘Kabbalah’). And as a quick perusal of recent Kabbalah Centre headlines will confirm, this organization and its supposed Kabbalah teachings are more geared toward exploiting your bank account (or worse) rather than saving your soul:

December 7, 2014Second UN panel criticizes Vatican on sex abuse by The Boston GlobePope Francis needs to take on board there is far more to reform than just passing internal laws, updating statutes and appointing oversight commissions. Take transparency for instance, how on earth does the Pope think he will gain any credibility for the Vatican without making total transparency not only a top priority but an absolutely 'Sacrosanct' item on his action list for serious reform? For anyone outside of the millions of faithful Catholics blinded to the reality of total corruption, sleaze and debauchery that has been synonymous with the Vatican name for the last several decades, unless the Pope starts taking a hard line with clergy offenders and actually punishing them for their long list of crimes against society and children in particular, the Pope stands to gain a reputation as a man of great principle but with little credibility for actually policing his own new reforms. The following article is just one example of how Francis is still dropping the ball with his new reforms. (full story here)(UN interrogation of Vatican video here)